MITT I LIVET

Very generously a fellow progger sent me a copy of Mitt I Livet. I knew it was not in the same league as his other albums just by reading odd reviews from time to time. It is a kind of musical and is totally alien to anything Bo Hansson has done previously. The songs are mainly filled with vocals and fail in an attempt at being convincing. Maybe it is unfair to say that especially as the lyrics are mostly in swedish so I cannot understand any emphasis as such. Occassionally you will hear snippets of Hansson's magic but seldom does it come to the fore. This was Bo Hansson's last album to my knowledge and not one to measure him by. Start with Magician's Hat or Attic Thoughts and you will understand what I mean.

Like Mike Oldfield, in the 1980s, we have here an instrumental artist doing a vocal album. And like Mike Oldfield, Bo Hansson is much better as an instrumental artist. In fact, some of the songs on 'Mitt I Livet' (middle of life) remind me a bit of Mike Oldfield's vocal side. But the thing is, I like some of these songs. Bo's music always held a strong, rather haunting mood for me that reflects an obvious love for the outdoors, and there is still a bit of this mood on this album as well. Ensamtruten, for example, has a warm, sweet sound, and features a rather nice, albeit short, instrumental bit. Unfortunately, those nice instrumental bits are few and far between. Still, Bo's personality does emerge at times, and I enjoy this album to a point. Toward the end, the album falters however, and the last couple songs bring down the overall level of the album. So I will listen to this album occasionally, but folks for the most part I think will be disappointed overall. 2.5 stars